Imatek has recently completed the successful installation of an IM100 Impact Tester at Firestone Industrial Products, NL.
The new Impact Tester will be used to test and develop the impact properties of air springs and their component parts which are extensively used in suspension systems for the automotive and rail industries.
Imatek's IM100 is an instrumented Impact Tester providing impact speeds up to 6 metres/second and uses a variable mass system of up to 200kg to provide impact energies from 1000 Joules to 5000 Joules.
Instrumentation is based around a 250KN precision load cell coupled to Imateks C3008 data capture system and a PC running the ImpAcqt system control and data analysis software.
Imatek's world-class ImpAcqt software is designed to allow for the configuration of the drop parameter, the data capture and the analysis of resulting data. The software is designed for high productivity and includes many ease-of-use features and very powerful analysis and reporting. There is no limit to the number or complexity of results that may be defined, so analysis can be tailored to specific applications. The software provides a rich set of functions for analysing measured and calculated data. Of particular use to this customer is reconfiguring reporting requirements between metric and US Imperial takes just a couple of mouse clicks.
The IM100 features a highly versatile and configurable specimen support area accommodating a wide range of specimen types to replicate typical in-use conditions found in the range of vehicle applications.
Firestone intends using the Impact Tester for quality control and research purposes to test and improve the performance of air springs and their component parts. In particular they will be investigating the transition of components to brittle failure due to temperature change.
Imatek is a leading UK based manufacturer of materials testing equipment primarily in the fields of impact testing. Imatek's products are used all over the world to test the properties of materials, components and assemblies in industries such as aerospace, polymer processing, steel production, automotive and academic research.